This book was a heartfelt and beautiful journey. I was so invested in a Emma and Nick (partly because that’s what me and my boyfriend are called!) but also because of a wonderful storyline, which was tied up exceptionally well.

Emma is a free spirit. She has spent the last 7 years traveling the world and has finally decided to go back home to Sydney. On her way there, she makes a pitstop in Fiji. There she meets the handsome Nick. Right away they have great banter and there is an attraction. She figures she is never going to see him again, so why not have a fling? After a great night, he writes down his phone number and they agree to meet up for lunch one last time before they each go their separate ways. He, back to a corporate job in London, she - continuing her travels, maybe to Alaska. He's late to lunch. She texts him, and no response. She calls him and it's disconnected. The bastard gave her a fake number! He stood her up, just like her ex did 7 years ago on their wedding day.
Emma ends up in Sydney, lies about her work experience to get an entry level job at the hottest PR company. Her first big assignment is to throw a gala and in the midst of it, her boss leaves and a new guy is brought in. Guess who? It's Nick! She's in way over her head both at work and in her personal life. Cue the miscommunication, throw in a hot young starlet and another mysterious woman that is constantly texting Nick.
It's all a bit predictable, but aren't they all? This was a quick read and not unenjoyable. A great vacation read.

This is the first novel from Kate Mathieson and I absolutely loved it. It was a refreshing take on a rom com. It follows Emma who, after travelling the world - alone, after being left at the altar (a recurring premise to some rom coms) - has one hot night with a gorgeous stranger in Fuji, on her way home to Sydney, they have a connection, he asks her for lunch the following day, she stands him up as she feels she’s not worthy of him and that it was a one time night and didn’t want to have that awkward “after sex” lunch. He gives her his number. But back in Sydney, living at home with her parents, she throws out his number, knowing he’d never want to be with her,...she has low self esteem, her mom tries to get her to lose weight, and get motivated again. I could go on and on how this book was so good - so, funny and hit the nail on the head about weight, self esteem. judging others based on looks, how to have more confidence in yourself, and learning that you are special and worthy no matter your weight. Love yourself just as you are! A must read for rom com lovers!

Thanks #netgalley for the ARC. I loved the opportunity to read new authors.
#justasyouare

I had to stop reading. Emma was self centered and unbearable. When I got to her moaning about how she was never going to be a size 8 or have a thigh gap, I wanted to scream for her to stop discussing her body size. It just wasn’t my style.

As you can possibly guess from the title, Just As You Are is a little bit of an homage to Bridget Jones Diary. It's a warm and funny story about working out what you want from life, accepting who you are and following your dreams. It took me a little while to warm up to this story but once I did I found it a laugh out loud funny and enjoyable read.

I do think the synopsis is a little bit misleading as this isn't really a light and fluffy read full of funny stories about online dating (there isn't actually any online dating at all) but instead goes much wider than that. Main character Emma Londstown is returning to Sydney after years spent travelling the globe. After much nagging from her Mum and feeling left out by her friends who are all married with children she decides it's time to settle down. She comes up with a three part plan, 1) get a job, 2) find a house, 3) meet the guy she'll spend the rest of her life with.

Parts 1 and 2 of her plan come together quite quickly as, after a great deal of creativity with her CV, she lands a job at a top PR firm and her mother finds her a cheap (albeit dingy and damp) place to live. Part 3 however proves more difficult as the crazy hours she ends up working and limited options in the Sydney dating scene make finding Mr Right seem like an impossible task. Emma starts to wonder if she made a mistake in throwing away the number of the guy she spent an incredible night with in Fiji.

There is definitely something very Bridget Jones like about Emma. She's constantly worrying over her weight, her clothes, her makeup. She feels left behind and lonely as her friends all seem to be focused on their own families and they can't hang out the way they used to. She drinks too much has a terrible diet and is killing herself trying to pretend that she's something she's not (confident, qualified career woman who knows what she's doing). It's tough to read at times and incredibly frustrating as a lot of her problems are those of her own making. She's lied her way into a job she's in no way qualified for and keeps on lying even when well out of her depth.

Despite this, there is something relateable and likeable about her. Yes, she blunders about, says and does the wrong thing but her heart is in the right place and when it comes down to it she's willing to work and to fix her mistakes. She's funny and loyal and trying to be what everyone thinks she should be. I may have been frustrated with her but I did want her to succeed.

I also very much wanted her to get together with Nick as it's clear from the start that they're absolutely perfect for each other. Even in that one night in Fiji they have an instant connection and the scenes where they were together were the highlight of the book for me. I loved the banter between them and the awkwardness and the sparks.

So why you may be asking if I loved this so much did I only give three stars, well, in addition to there being a lot to love there were things I thought could have been better. Firstly it's pretty slow to get going, for the first third of the book not very much happens.

I also felt like much more could have been made of the secondary characters. Other than Emma and Nick the others feel a little stereotyped and don't make much of an impression. There's the overbearing mother and under the thumb father, the maneating coworker, the gay best friend and the overly demanding boss. I don't necessarily mind a stereotype but it also seemed like many of these characters had a big part then disappeared never to be seen again. Emma's parents for example disappear as soon as she moves out of the family home. I found it odd too that Emma doesn't spend any time with her best friend's families.

Finally I think the story could have gone a bit deeper and had a little more emotion. Yes it made me laugh but instead of spending so much time on Emma's job it could have dug a little more into why she felt like she had to conform. It is obvious that she's lonely, she admits it herself, but I didn't feel it.

Anyway, overall I thought this was a really fun read and I'd recommend to anyone looking for a light holiday (or rainy afternoon) read.

I received an advance copy of this from the publisher via Netgalley

This book was good, but I wasn’t blown away. I struggled to connect to the main character and found myself ready to finish most of the way through.

This was a light and fun debut novel from this author - I am looking forward to reading what she comes out with next!

I could not get into it.
Something about the characters voice was off for me. I do appreciate the diversity in it however. It felt like the beginning was slow and hard to feel the flow of what was going on. Maybe it was just not for me.

Nethalley provided an ARC for me in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't too keen on the beginning if the book. But a few chapters in it started to pick up a little. Not something I'll read again. I'll give the author a try again but this book didn't meet the mark for me.

A light and humourous read, didn't require too much attention and was an easy read to get into. My only real qualm was that there just felt like there was something missing for me and I didn't get that hunger and need to devour the pages.

I'm giving this 3 stars because it started off SO well, and then kind of just fizzled...

It was full of humour and I kind of liked the romance, I can't really decide D:

Not a fan of the main character's voice or personality, and the way the mother acted from the very start was...ugh. I'd love to see a book where a mother isn't a walking cliche, trying to wed her child off immediately. There's fun banter, and props to the author for having a main character who isn't super thin! But I just wasn't really feeling this.

Overall this book was fun, lighthearted and an easy going read. A little predictable in places. If you enjoy chick lit with a bit of sex and sass then you'll probably enjoy this one.

Thanks to netgalley for the advance ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book reads as review of different places and countries that the main character visited. After reading for a while I had to stop. I gave it two tries. *******I received an ARC for my honest review *******

A sweet, easy to read story about leading an authentic life, It's about being unapologetic about who you are. Emma has been travelling for seven years, but feels at 34, it's time she settles down into a steady job, making a home and finding a partner. As she blags her way into a PR job she is wholly unqualified for, she bumps into an old flame, Nick, who she spent one night of passion with in Fiji. She is mortified, and yet can't help but feel an enduring connection between them. As work begins to consume her, and she becomes more and more unhappy, a series of misunderstandings, lead her to believe nothing can ever happen between her and Nick. With her life imploding she is offered a job in Alaska and jumps at the opportunity. But as in all good romance novels, there is a heartfelt scene at the end of the book that will leave a smile on the readers face.

I really wanted to enjoy this book - I love the cover and the description really drew me in. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it!

Unfortunately I struggled with Just As You Are. I found my mind wandering while I was reading and couldn't get in to the story.

I do appreciate that Mathieson had a size 14 herione!!

Just As You Are, started off light, fluffy, romantic and juicy.. then it kind of just fell flat? The mid and end sections just felt like a different book. At the start there was chemistry, even when the two were just talking, then it just fizzled and felt like different people. Not my favourite.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

***I received a copy through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.***

I really enjoyed this read! It was light, humorous, and kept me entertained. I wish there would have been more development in Nick and Emma’s relationship, it felt a bit forced. The ending was rushed, but still was enjoyable. I think the description of the book is a bit misleading, seeing as Emma didn’t do much dating and the focus was really on her reinventing herself and her life. Despite all of that, I really loved the banter that Nick and Emma had, I only wish there was more of it.

I am happy that I stuck with this book. I have to admit I almost gave up early on. Emma is 34 years old and has been traveling for the last 7 years after an event that didn't go as planned (I don't want to spoil it, so no more details). She has finally decided to come home. She spends a few days in Fiji and has a one night stand. This is where I almost stopped- it was pretty explicit and pretty early in the book and made me think it was representative of the rest of the book. I am glad I persevered because the book did go in a different direction. I enjoyed the flow of the middle of the book best. Emma got an interesting job, and is trying to conform to the life she thinks she should have.

I wish I had a better sense of Emma. I have to say I was never sure if I really liked her and sometimes found her kind of annoying. I didn't really dislike her, but wasn't really rooting for her. I also would have liked more detail of her job and how she did it. Emma had a lot of strengths that I didn't feel I got to connect to because they weren't the focus of the story; I think if I'd been able to see her doing well, I would have liked her better and it might have balanced out the soul-searching parts. It is coming of age story, and I am sure some people will connect to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins One More Chapter Publishers for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.